Quote

Ain't nuthin like ridin' a finehorse in a new country- Augustus McCrae – Lonesome Dove

Monday, January 4, 2016

Westward Ho ~

Snoqualmie Pass- Day 1

Unexpected - life throws those events at us from time to time. Colorado was again calling my name... Flying is not my thing! Crowds, confined space & stale air - since Butch didn't nix my plan to drive, the Bronco & I hit the road. When I checked the pass report, it was to close for avalanche control at 9 a.m. I took the back roads to North Bend, then headed up onto I-90. Even with slow going I made it through with 30-min. to spare.

Near Spokane

By the time I was coming into Spokane - the day had turned stunning!

Lolo Pass 3 p.m.

Once into Montana - the 80 mph. speed limit really helped our time. I wanted to be to Missoula before dark & just made it by 5 p.m. Tired didn't describe it, so made my calls & turned in early. Of course I couldn't sleep... Up early & back on the road.

Leaving Missoula - Sunrise, Day 2

It was still dark, but before long the sun was coming up & I love seeing sunrise in the west! Montana is a big state & my audio book helped the miles click by. By 1 p.m. I was in Billings - making the turn south toward Wyoming. The goal for this day, my favorite Aunt & Uncle's home in Sheridan, WY!

Bronco covered with road grime!

Butch called & said that the Bronco wanted a little oil. I got out my step, climbed up on the hood & with the phone on speaker - started the process. Within a minute, I had three guys offering to help :-) It's friendly in the West! Driving along, I was surprised to see two women on horses with their dogs heading toward a small horse herd. I beeped the horn as way of saying; "Hi!" They waved & how I wished I was out there riding with them!

Big Horns in the distance~

Back on the road, the sun shining on the snow was brutal. Even with my good sunglasses, my eyes were tired. By 3 p.m. I was pulling into Sheridan! First stop - the car wash! The Very Best car wash I have ever used! It blasted that road grime right off! Visiting family that I seldom get to see - is always so wonderful! Of course we never stopped talking & going to bed was hard! Next morning when I went out to warm up the Bronco - it was frozen solid! 17 degrees felt darn cold! :-) It was sure fun motoring around on the snow covered streets.

Leaving Sheridan - Day 3

Another gorgeous sunrise in the West. I would have loved to stop & take photos with the camera, but it would be another almost full day's drive. Over the years, & the drives back & forth - Auntie has always sent me on my way with a packed lunch! Chicken salad sandwich, chips, cookies - yum! I don't think anyone would argue that Wyoming can be a bit dull out in the middle of the state. I was looking forward to crossing the Colorado state line! Traffic picked up the further south I drove. Two-lanes each direction once on I-25 seemed small after being so used to I-5! By just after 2 p.m. I was at Mom's door! So good to see her!

Albert Borgmann, Crossing the Postmodern Divide, 1992

You cannot remain unmoved by the gentleness and conformation of a well-bred and well-trained horse -- more than a thousand pounds of big-boned, well-muscled animal, slick of coat & sweet of smell, obedient and mannerly, and yet forever a menace with it's innocent power and ineradicable inclination to seek refuge in flight, and always a burden with its need to be fed, wormed, and shod, with its liability to cuts and infections, to laming and heaves. But when it greets you with a nicker, nuzzles your chest, and regards you with a large and liquid eye, the question of where you want to be and what you want to do had been answered.

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January 1, 2013

Our Blog!

I enjoy riding whenever & wherever I can, then blogging about it!Time with our grand-kids tops my list - the gift of old age! Of course anything about horses, Photography, the Great Outdoors, never-ending work of keeping up a woodland garden & Washington Native Plant promotion are a few of my personal interests.